History

Congress passed and act called The Endangered Species Act. They passed this act because it was to protect animals and plants that were in danger of becoming extinct. The purpose of the act is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Some amendments that the ESA has. In 1988, Congress required the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor all recovered species and all candidate species. The 1988 amendment affected federal recovery plans for listed species. After 1988, the Fish and Wildlife Service and other relevant federal agencies were required to notify the public about all federal recovery plans. After public notice, recovery plans were open to public comments while the relevant federal agencies were required to review and consider those comments when developing their plans.